Hesitation
by NakamuraKaito
Summary: Four friends are pulled into an alternate dimension, and must fight demons and half-demons in order to find a way home.
1. Chapter 1

I've had this story on blogspot for awhile now.. I've decided to see how it'd do on fanfiction. I'm too lazy to change the chapters around, so i'm putting everything up the way i wrote it in the first place. Anyway, read and review. (Constructive criticism is welcomed.)

_**Hesitation**_

_**Chapter One**_

My name is Matsuo Ryou. I have black hair, and brown eyes. I'm a 16 year old student studying at Valencia High School.

_**BRRRRIING!!!**_

And that, was the bell signaling the end of school for the day.

"Alright class, that's it for today. I want you to finish the rest of this chapter, and pass it up tomorrow."

The entire class groaned.

_Well, I'm getting a late night today._

_You could just copy from somebody tomorrow morning, you know._

_That would mean waking up early._

_....Never mind then._

Yes, I talk to myself in my head. Live with it.

I packed up my things, and shoved them in my bag. My best friend and rival, Saruwatari Koike, walked past.

Koike: "Hey, shortie."

Ryou: "What? Stickboy."

It was a long running joke between us. See, I'm about 5 feet 5, and relatively well-toned. He's 5 feet 8, and closely resembles a bamboo plant. His hair is black, but not as dark as mine.

Koike: "You going to the Dojo?"

Ryou: "Whaddaya think?"

Koike: "*chuckles* Thought so. C'mon."

Me and Koike both go the the same Dojo. The master there teaches a style that is mainly based on Taekwondo, but with a little bit of Judo thrown in for good measure. In terms of skill, I'm better than Koike, but his legs are long, and pack a lot of power, so we're quite closely matched.

By this time, we'd left the school, and were walking past our sister school, Valencia Girls School. (Don't ask me why there's a girl's school right next to a mixed school. There just is.) A girl was waiting by the front gate. On seeing us, her face brightened. Let me introduce Akimoto Kumiko, Koike's girlfriend. She started to run up to us, or to be specific, Koike. I tapped Koike on the shoulder.

Ryou: "I'll see you at the Dojo."

Koike: "Sure. Later man."

I raised my hand in acknowledgement, and quickened my pace. I smiled slightly and nodded at Kumiko as she ran past. She returned the smile, then went to Koike. I turned a corner, and breathed out slightly.

_Jealous, ain'tcha?_

_Shut up._

Suddenly, I felt a need to run, fast. To feel the wind rushing past my hair. So I did. Ignoring the stares of the people around me, I ran as fast as I could, losing myself in the steady rhythm of running.

When I reached the Dojo, I was panting hard. I took a few minutes to catch my breath, then walked in. My master, Fujiwara Tadayoshi, looked up from teaching an intermediate class as I entered, and smiled. I bowed, and headed to the back to change into my training gi.

Me and Fujiwara-sensei go way back. When I was little, I was a real crybaby. That, combined with my small size, and hot temper, made me a target of bullies. The first time I met Sensei, I was getting my ass handed to me by a few bullies. Sensei chased them off, and treated my wounds at his Dojo. The next day, the same thing happened. After that, Sensei offered to train me. I went to his Dojo immediately after school, and stayed until past dinner, everyday, for a week. The next time those bullies found me, I left them dazed, bruised, and bleeding. Ever since, I've spent as much time as I could training at the Dojo.

_Y'know, when you think about it, Sensei's been more of a father to us than our own father._

_Gee, ya think? My real father thinks being bullied builds character. Just how does being beaten up by a few guys bigger than me "build character"?_

_Yea..Sensei's the one that got me interested in martial arts too. He's a good man. You remember what he said when we asked him whether we could train under different masters?_

_Haha, yea. I still can't believe it. He actually encouraged us to go learn. Something about gathering more knowledge about martial arts. Knowledge is power and all. You know what?_

_I agree with him._

I stepped out of the changing room, and tossed my bag into a corner, and looked around. Fujiwara-sensei had founded this dojo twenty years ago, and he'd named it the "Fujiwara Martial Arts Dojo". During his time here, he'd trained several martial artists that went on to become some of the best in the world. He'd asked them not to tell anyone about this dojo though, something about not wanting the fame that would bring. I asked him about it once, and he'd said that the fame would bring lots of students, but most of them would expect to become expert fighters without putting in any effort. Fujiwara-sensei hates students that don't put in any effort. I've seen him expel lazy students. Of course, those students were really REALLY lazy. He respects people who put in effort though, even if they're not very good. Me and Koike train under him for free, in return for helping out around the dojo and with some of the beginner classes. Obviously, we put a lot of effort into both our training, and teaching.

The dojo itself was fairly simple. The floor was covered in tatami mats, a few punching bags, chin up bars and e.t.c lined one wall, some trophies from the local competitions were mounted in a glass cupboard, there was a male and female locker room, complete with showers, and a storeroom where the equipment and weapons were kept. Not many weapons though. As far as I know, the only weapons Fujiwara-sensei uses and teaches are the nunchaku, staff, one-handed sword, and two-handed sword.

I went through my usual stretches, then did a front split. I pushed as low as I could, ignoring the protests from my legs, but still remained a few inches above the ground.

_Still got a bit more to go._

I held that position for about thirty seconds, then switched legs, held it for another 30 seconds, then a side split for another thirty seconds. I stood up, and bounced on my ankles to loosen my legs. By that time, Koike had arrived, and changed. Fujiwara-sensei beckoned us over.

Fujiwara-sensei: "Boys, this class will be over in about half an hour. In the meantime, you boys can either do some light sparring, or practice."

Me and Koike both bowed, then walked over to an uncrowded area. I glanced at Koike.

Ryou: "You wanna spar?"

Koike: " Nah, man, I wanna practice nunchaku for a while."

I sighed. Me and Koike started learning nunchaku at about the same time, but Koike had always been better at doing tricks with the nunchaku. Those big hands of his probably didn't hurt too.

Koike grabbed his bag, and pulled put a pair of nunchaku. I went to my bag and pulled out my nunchaku too. When Koike and I had finished the beginner kata for nunchaku, Fujiwara-sensei had given us both these nunchaku. Until then, we'd been using the beginner nunchaku, which were shorter, silver-colored, and made of a softer type of alloy. The nunchaku Fujiwara-sensei had given us were black, longer, harder, and had our names engraved on the both sides in elegant kanji.

Koike started twirling his nunchaku immediately, drawing stares from the intermediate class. I rolled my eyes.

Ryou: "Show off"

Koike just laughed. I put my nunchaku aside for now. I did a few cartwheels, butterfly kicks, crescent kicks, and rolls to loosen up my entire body. I finished up with a handstand, holding it for a few seconds.

Koike: "Now who's the show-off?"

I smirked. Koike might have been better with the nunchaku skills, but I'd always been more agile than him. I picked up the nunchaku, then went through the beginner kata. When I finished, I put the nunchaku beside my bag, then started hitting one of the punching bags until the intermediary class was finished, and the other members of the advanced class arrived.

After the training session, me and Koike showered in the locker room, changed into street clothes, and left. Koike went straight home. I glanced at my cell phone to check the time(I don't carry a watch). It was 6pm. I shrugged, then started for home. When I reached the front door to my house, I stopped and listened. I could faintly hear my parents arguing. Again. I sighed.

_Home, sweet home._

I unlocked the door with my key, slipped in, locked the door again, and went upstairs to my room. I find both my mum and dad annoying, plus they fight a lot, so I try not to spend too much time with them. I slipped into my room, and closed the door. I listened. They were still arguing. I winced when I heard a particularly loud thud. The voices ebbed, then they started arguing again. I sighed, and looked around. My room is pretty much a typical teenager's room. A pile of used clothes in the center, a radio, a wardrobe, complete with mirror, a desk with a few photos on it, and a bed. I walked over to my desk and looked at the first photo on my desk. It was a Filipino girl, with long, black hair, and me. Meet my pet sister, Hamano Michiyo. She used to go to my school, and we'd gotten pretty close. More than friends, but never romantically involved. She moved back to the Philippines earlier this year. We still exchange the occasional e-mail.

The second photo was a picture of me, Koike, and some other guys from my class on a class trip. I passed over that one. The third photo was of me and two girls. One was short, with shoulder length black hair. Saruwatari Asuka(no relation to Koike). She's one of my closest friends. The other girl was almost the same height as me, with big, soft, brown eyes, and short black hair. In the photo, she was grinning madly at the camera, her right hand in a "v" sign. Sagami Emi. For the past year and a half, I had a crush on her. When I realised she'd never love me the way I wanted her to, I slowly started to get over her. It's been a long, painful process, but I'm mostly over her now. Still have to be careful not to let myself fall back into love though. But, with all the pain I've felt because of her, I've never once regretted it. It's mainly because of her that I developed most of my better traits.

I stretched, then started doing my homework. About 7pm, I went down for dinner. My mum and dad seemed cheerful, but I noticed a new dent in one of the walls, like someone had hit the wall with something hard. I ate, then went online for a while. About 10pm, I went up to my room. I changed into a sleeveless shirt and boxers, then opened one of the drawers of my desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a glass. I looked at it for a moment, debating whether I should drink some. See, a few months ago, I started having trouble sleeping. So far, a glass of this stuff is the only thing that helps. But I hated having to depend on artificial means for anything. I mean, I don't even take aspirin unless it's really serious. I sighed, then put the whiskey and glass back in my drawer.

_Not yet._

I turned off the lights, then climbed into bed. And lay there, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the night to pass.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_**Chapter Two**_

I was on the top floor of one of the local malls. I looked around. Something was bothering me about the place, but I couldn't place it.

_What the-?_

Something hit me in the jaw. Instinctively, I twisted, absorbing the blow. I landed on my feet, and looked up. The ugliest person I had ever seen stood in front of me. He was big, too, and well muscled. I shouted. "The hell is your problem?!"

The man growled, and charged again. I ducked his punch, then, pushing up with my legs, I struck out with an uppercut. The man dodged it, then kicked me in the chest.

_He's damned fast.._

By now, I was throughly pissed. Adrenalin pumped through my body, numbing the pain. I roared, and charged at the man. At the last moment, I jumped, and kicked out in a side kick. The man dodged it again. When I was passing, I punched out with my right hand. The man grabbed my hand, and spun me around. I punched out with my other hand, but he caught that hand too.

_This isn't possible!_

I pulled back both my hands, kicking out with my foot at the same time. Without letting go of my hands, he dodged my foot, and threw me through a booth. Then I realized what was bothering me. There was no one in the mall. There was only me, and that ugly sonofabitch that was attacking me.

_What the hell is going on?_

The man jumped at me, and grabbed my shirt. I brought my hands together with all my strength, and hit at the sides of the man's head. Again, the man dodged it, and threw me again. This time, over the railing. My eyes widened.

_Shit!_

I landed on the ground floor. Somehow, my legs didn't break from the landing. I looked up, and saw the man jumping down. I froze. I watched the man descend toward me.

_Move! Damnit, MOVE!_

I couldn't. My entire body was frozen. Just before the man landed on me…

I woke up.

_Geez. That was one weird-ass dream._

My radio was on. I sighed, staggered over, and turned it off. I stretched, yawned, and fell back onto the bed. I lay there for a while, then rolled off the bed and went to the toilet. I splashed my face with cold water, and brushed my teeth. I put on my school uniform on, picked up my school bag, and went downstairs. I grabbed a bread bun, then left for school. The cool morning air greeted me. As I walked to school, I thought about the dream I just had.

_That was strange. A few times, I definitely should have hit him. It was as if he wasn't really there, or my reach had become shorter.._

I shrugged, then put it out of my mind. I got to school early, sat down at my desk, and got ready for boring school day. At least it was a Friday, which meant only half a day of school, and no school for the next two days.

After school, Koike and a few of the guys waited for me at the front waved when he saw me. "Hey, wanna go hang out at the mall today?"

"Sure man."

We headed over to the mall, and ate lunch at McDonalds. Personally, I prefer Burger King, but everybody wanted McDonalds, so I was pretty much overruled. After that, we went to the arcade, which was on the top floor. I looked around, remembering my dream, then put it out of my mind. Just a dream, after all.

Koike and the guys went to a racing game. I went to my favourite game in the arcade, Silent Scope 2. It was a sniper game, and somehow appealed to me. I can usually finish at least the first two missions with 100% accuracy. I put in a game token, put my eye to the scope of the rifle, and started shooting. I had almost finished the first mission, and was lining up a shot to the boss's head, which would give me an instant kill, when somebody poked me in the ribs. I jumped, and missed the shot. I turned around to glare at the person who poked me. When I realised who that person was, my glare turned into a surprised look.

It was Sagami Emi. I smiled, reached over, and ruffled her hair. She glared at me. I smiled wider. She hated it when I did that. Which was exactly why I did it. I grinned at her. "Where's Asuka?" Still scowling, or trying to, she replied. " She's buying some game tokens."

Asuka walked over, and smiled at me. "Hi, Ryou."

"Hey Asuka. You guys gonna watch a movie later?"

"Nah, we're just here to kill some time."

"Oh, ok. You wanna go for a drink or something later? Koike's here, and I think Kumiko's coming by later."

Emi made a disgusted face. "As long as they don't make out in front of me."

I laughed. "You could just look away."

Emi glared at me. I smiled, and raised my hands, palms out, in surrender. Emi tried out the sniper game I was playing, and I watched, giving her a few tips here and there.

A few hours later, Koike, Asuka, Emi and me walked out of the arcade. I glanced around, noticing the absence of a certain someone. "Hey, Koike, where's Kumiko?"

"She had to go for church."

"Aww…Your girlfriend ditched you so she could go listen to some old guy preach." I teased him.

Koike glared at me, and I laughed. He knew I was joking.

Emi spoke up. "Hey, guys, where'd everybody go?"

I looked at her, and started to say something. The words never left my mouth when I noticed that she was right. There was no one in the mall. The usual noise was gone, leaving only an eerie silence. I glanced back at the arcade. The machines were all off, as if there was a power cut. The guys from my class who were supposed to be in there, racing each other at a racing game, were gone. In fact, the entire arcade was empty.

_What the hell?_

This was wrong. I was reminded of my dream. Except, Koike, Emi, and Asuka were here with me. I couldn't remember them in my dream, but then I wasn't looking around much. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over, but there was nothing.

"Guys, lets get out of here."

There was no response. I looked back. They were gone. I was alone. I felt a tinge of fear.

_Shit._

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

_**Chapter Three**_

I glanced around, my body tense. I knew what was going to happen next. I waited, then threw myself back. A punch whipped through the air where my head was. I landed, letting my right foot skid backwards, taking up a Taekwondo guard stance, my rear heel off the ground. In front of me, the same ugly-ass sonofabitch stood, and glared at me.

Ryou: "Who the hell are you? What's going on here? Where are my friends?"

The man just kept glaring. Either he was deaf, or he was ignoring me, or he was just retarded. Either way, I was angry. The man growled, and charged.

_Just like in the dream. In that case…_

I ducked the man's punch, then threw a straight punch towards his solar plexus. The man was as fast as I remembered. His hand blurred in and caught my punch. My other hand whipped through the air, heading towards his throat. He caught that one too. I kicked at his crotch, but he blocked with his knee. I head-butted him, but he didn't seem affected. He twisted, spinning my body around, and let go. I flew through the air, and crashed through a booth. I landed, rolling instinctively. I stood up again. This was impossible. _No one_ could be this fast.

_Should have brought my weapons out._

The man leaped at me, and grabbed at my shirt. I jumped backwards, spinning at the same time to throw out a back kick. The man grabbed my leg. I jumped with my other leg, and lashed out with a hook kick. He grabbed that leg too. With a grunt, he threw me again. I went sailing over the railing.

_Yep, just like in the dream._

I twisted in mid-air to put my feet under me, and, the moment I landed, I rolled to dissipate the force of the impact. Even so, the impact jarred my ankles. I stood up, wincing at the pain in my ankles. I glanced up just as the man jumped off. He fell towards me, and, just like the dream, I couldn't move. The man landed inches in front of me, knees bending to absorb the force. He drew himself to his full height. I winced as I caught his scent. This guy smelled like shit. At that moment, I regretted honing my senses.

_This guy's even taller than Koike _

He sneered at me.

"Weak."

I growled, and, suddenly, I could move again. I punched out with my right hand, index middle knuckle extended, aiming for his eye. He caught my punch. Again.

_That is fucking annoying_

I punched out with my left hand, but this time, I feinted. The man tried to catch it, but he missed. When his hand went past, I immediately threw a straight knife hand pierce. The man dodged, but he wasn't fast enough. My hand grazed the side of his face. At the same time, I kicked up with my left leg, and got him between the legs. His eyes bulged. His grip on my right hand loosened. I tore my right hand free, and punched the man full in the face. He staggered back.

_Perfect._

I took one, small, turning step, which helped me add momentum to my spin, and hit him with a back kick. The back kick is a kick that gets most of its power from the spin. Generally, the faster the spin, the stronger the kick. As long as the spin can be controlled, that is. That was a modified back kick that added even more speed to the spin.

I'd practiced that move at Fujiwara-sensei's dojo until I could control the spin well

My kick surged toward him, but he leaped back. He growled. I could see a cut on his cheek where my knife hand pierce got him. I was glad I hadn't cut my fingernails in a while.

_So he IS human after all._

I closed my eyes, and let out a breath. I fought to calm myself. Fujiwara-sensei always said emotions affected the ability to fight. I opened my eyes.

_Here we go._

The man charged, I waited until he'd committed to his attack, then stepped aside, dodging his punch. My right hand flicked out, grabbing his wrist, then my left palm crashed into his elbow. The man grunted in pain. I let go of his wrist, then moved my hand along his arm to crash into his neck in an inverse knife hand chop. It never made it. He caught my hand just before it hit his neck, then his arm hit me in the ribs, knocking the wind out of me. I landed on my back, gasping for air. The man stepped forward, his right foot rising. I guessed what he was about to do, and rolled aside. His foot smashed into the ground where my head had been. I got on my feet, and leaped backwards.

The man started walking towards me. I couldn't seem to get air into my lungs. My vision was blurring. The man spoke

"Give up. You don't stand a chance against me."

Ryou: "Fuck you."

I stepped forward, both my hands blurring. This was a technique I'd been playing around with. Basically, it relied on human nature. If I can flash enough punches at someone's face, they'll panic, and flinch. It even worked on Fujiwara-sensei, once. I was praying it worked now.

The man's eyes widened, and he flinched back. Not wasting my chance, I stiffened the fingers of my right hand, and stabbed it into his neck. The man choked, and bent forward. I grabbed his head, and rammed my knee into his face. Still holding onto his head, I jumped and twisted, ramming my knee into his temple. I landed, and was going to ram him again, when both his palms slammed into my stomach. All the air in my lungs exploded outward. I fell to my knees. The man stood, and I could see two nasty cuts where my knee had hit him.

"You are annoying."

I cursed, then turned and ran. There was a store here that sold camping supplies, including knives. I hated having to use a weapon against an unarmed opponent, but I needed an edge. I glanced behind me. The man wasn't following me.

_What's he up to?_

I reached the store, and went in. I ignored the knives on display. They wouldn't be sharp. I went further into the store, and saw what I wanted. A selection of bowie knives were on the wall, under a safety glass cover. I grabbed a pole, smashed the cover, and grabbed two bowie knives. I winced. The last hit that man gave me must have cracked at least one of my ribs on the left side of my body. I tested the edges of the knives. They were sharp. Fujiwara-sensei had told us the basics of fighting with knives. I grabbed some duct tape, and taped the knives to my palms, with the knives in the reverse grip position. I opened and closed my hands. The knives remained securely fastened to my palms. Satisfied, I stood up, and walked out.

"Ready?"

I froze. The man was outside.

_What the fuck?! He was WAITING for me?!_

I gritted my teeth, then took up my combat stance. I waited. And waited. The man just stood there, arms crossed, that ugly face watching impassively. I had enough. With a roar, I charged towards the man. Suddenly, everything around me disintegrated, turning into a shifting mass of colors.

_What the hell?_

Shapes took form, and I was standing in a wooden room. I looked around. There were two women, one with long blond hair, another with short black hair, and a man with a tribal tatto on his right arm were standing in front of me. I raised my fists.

"Ryou!"

_Emi?_

I glanced behind me. Koike, Emi, and Asuka were there. I raised one eyebrow at them.

Ryou: "Where exactly were you guys when I was getting the crap beaten out of me?"

The woman with long hair stepped up and held her hand out towards me.

"There will be time for that later. First, let's get those bruises looked at."

I batted her hand away.

Ryou: "I'm fine. I'd like to know what's going on. _If_ you don't mind."

I said the last few words in a tone that dripped in sarcasm. The man stiffened, and moved forwards, but the woman who had stepped up waved her hand, and he sat down.

_Hmm. That woman could be the leader here._

The woman sat down, and gestured for me to sit as well. I remained standing. The woman sighed.

"I can't really blame you for your suspicion. You've been brought here, away from your comfortable world, with no warning whatsoever"

_World? Say what?! Are we still on Earth? Or is this woman just crazy?_

The woman was still speaking.

"I am Yuki. This" She gestured toward the woman with long hair "is Miharu." She gestured toward the man "And that's Masato. You are here because.."

The man named Masato cut in.

Masato: "I think it would be best if we disarmed him before we tell him."

I raised my fists, with the knives still wrapped in duct tape.

Ryou: "I'm not dropping these until I know what's going on."

Masato: "Oh, really?"

Masato stood up, and faced me.

_Seems Yuki isn't going to stop him this time._

Koike moved to stand beside me.

Koike: "I'm with him."

I glanced at Koike. His face was set. Emi and Asuka moved to stand behind me as well.

_Thanks, guys._

I looked back at Masato and waited for him to make a move. He was unarmed, which meant that when he attacked me, I'd be able to cut him. His right hand flicked forward.

_Fast!_

I dodged, my right hand coming up and cutting his wrist. He jumped back with a curse.

Yuki: "Don't underestimate him. This boy managed to give Kazuma three minor cuts on his face. Without the knives.

Masato seemed surprised. Then he smiled.

Masato: "Impressive. I didn't think any human could injure Kazuma. Even one of the Four."

_Four? Does he mean us? Wait. "Human"?_

He smiled, and licked his cut. Next moment, he was right in front of me, with his hand an inch from my throat.

_Oh. Shit._

He leaped back, and smirked.

I watched them a moment, then lowered my hands and started to cut off the duct tape.

Emi: "What are you doing?"

I glanced at her.

Ryou: "You saw that. He could've killed me with one hit. I'm guessing the other two here are at least around his level. I'll listen to their story."

I finished cutting off the duct tape, and looked at them.

Masato grinned, but then something changed. His eyes turned yellow, his fingernails grew longer and sharper, and he grew slightly bigger and more muscled. But the most frightening thing was his mouth. It widened, the teeth turning into huge fangs.

He licked his teeth with an impossibly long tongue. I leaped back, pulling the others with me.

_Holy shit!_

Ryou: "You're _vampires_?!"

Masato laughed, the sound of it not sounding human at all. I started to regret dropping my knives.

Yuki: "Not exactly. We are…well, in your world, I suppose you would call us demons. But we're only half demon."

Ryou: "Gee, that makes me feel so much better."

_Great. I'm in the same room as three half-demons, all of whom can probably kick my ass with one hand._

_Great._

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

_**Chapter Four**_

I sighed, then sat down on a chair. After a while, Koike and the others sat too. I looked at Yuki, waiting.

Yuki: "Well, first of all, you are no longer in your home dimension."

I froze.

_Say WHAT?!_

Koike: "Say WHAT?!"

Apparently, the others shared my opinion. We all started yelling and gesturing wildly. Then Masato, who had reverted to his human form, slammed the wall. The sound of it surprised us, and we all stared at him.

Masato: "Let her finish"

Yuki nodded at him.

Yuki: "First, I better tell you about this dimension. In this dimension, there are beings with speed and strength that far surpass even the most well-trained human. We call these beings, Tenma. There are some Tenma who are peace-loving creatures, and there are some who enjoy killing humans. They are as varied as humans in their opinions and personalities, if not more so. Their appearance can only be described as not human, for their bodies are as varied as their personalities. Some have four limbs, some a hundred limbs, some have tentacles, some have claws, you get the drift. And they can take on human form. Also, there are half-human, half-demon hybrids like us. We are created by a crossing between a Tenma and a human, or by introducing Tenma blood into the body of a human. We are called Ningenbanare. We are as strong as fast as Tenma, but, depending on our level of mastery, we can take on three forms. Normally, a Ningenbanare can shift between human and Tenma forms, as long as he has the strength for the transformation. When a Ningenbanare dies, or is extremely tired, he reverts to human form. But when a Ningenbanare has exceptional strength, or extremely strong willpower, or both, he can achieve a third form. We call this process Awakening. The form, we call Awakened. In this form, we become much more powerful."

"A few years ago, a group of three Ningenbanare, all with the power to Awaken, started gathering other Tenma and Ningenbanare to start a war. Their aim is conquer this land, and kill or enslave all humans. We call them the Mugoi."

Yuki spoke in an toneless voice, her face emotionless. However, when she said 'kill or enslave all humans' I noticed her hands clench.

_Seems this is a sore subject with her_

Yuki gestured towards herself, Masato, and Miharu.

Yuki: "We, are part of the resistance. However, our power cannot match the theirs. All we have been able to do is stall and slow them down. Then, a year ago, one of us, who had the power to see into the future, had a vision. Unfortunately, she did not have the power to control it. Normally, in her human or Tenma form, she can control it, and her power lets her see only up to one minute into the future. This time, she fought one of the Mugoi, and she Awakened for the first time. While she was fighting, a vision struck her. She could see nothing but the vision, and as a result, the Mugoi dealt her a fatal blow. She did not die immediately from the blow, but there was no chance of her recovering. After she regained consciousness, she told us of her vision. She said she saw four Ningenbanare take on the Mugoi and win. She also sensed their ki, and could tell us for sure that these four Ningenbanare were not among our resistance. Luckily, my power is to open doors to other dimensions. In Awakened form, I can create a pocket dimension. However, even in Awakened form, I can't open links to an entire new dimension. So, we combined the power of all the Ningenbanare we could spare, and with her help, we searched the world, then the dimension, then other dimensions, until we found you. Unfortunately, the effort killed her. After that, we spent some time preparing, and then made another attempt. However, the Mugoi had sensed our first attempt, and were waiting. The leader of the Mugoi has the same ability as me. When we found you, they found you as well. Even with our combined power, we only had enough strength to transport three of you at once. So I put the four of you in a pocket dimension first, and then took the three of you who had the weakest ki signature, and left the one who had the best chance of surviving. While I was pulling you towards our dimension, they sent a Ningenbanare into the pocket dimension I had made. It seems I made it in time."

_So that explains why everyone at the mall disappeared, followed by Koike and the others. And also why that guy I fought was such a damned good fighter. But…_

Ryou: "But, Koike and I are equal in terms of overall fighting power."

Yuki nodded.

Yuki: "I know. I could sense that your ki was closely matched, so I just chose one of you."

Koike cut in.

Koike: "Something you said bothers me. You said, in the vision, that the person saw four Ningenbanare. Does that mean you expect us to become Ningenbanare?"

I froze.

_I can't believe I missed that! Man..i'm more tired than I thought._

Emi and Asuka stiffened. I looked at Yuki.

Ryou: "Well?"

Yuki looked surprised for a moment, then she smiled ruefully.

Yuki: "I had hoped to keep that a secret until you grew used to the idea of Tenma and Ningenbanare, but I will not lie directly to you. Yes, we expect you to become Ningenbanare."

Ryou: "So, basically, you expect us to give up our _humanity _to help you?"

Yuki's face hardened

Yuki: "We are not monsters, Matsuo Ryou. We have feelings that are the same as humans. We bleed when we are injured, and cry when we are sad. Tenma are the same. They love their children, the same as any human. Besides, will you really stand b and do nothing when an entire _nation _of humans suffer? Because, we cannot hold off the Mugoi forever. They have already conquered a quarter of this land, and the fugitives from those lands can recount things the Mugoi did that are beyond horrific."

I sighed. All this talk of Tenma and Awakening and Ningenbanare and Mugoi were giving me a headache. The adrenalin rush from fighting that man, no, Ningenbanare in the mall was wearing off. My vision was blurring again. My ribs were hurting more too.

Ryou: "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to insult you. Well…I guess…I'll..think..about… it."

With that, for the first time in my life, i blacked out.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_**Chapter Five**_

_Ugh…Damn.. My whole body hurts._

I opened my eyes, and saw the short haired woman from before.

Ryou: "Um…Miharu, isn't it?"

She smiled gently

Miharu: "Yes. Now, you've fractured two ribs on your left side, you've pulled the muscles in both your calves, and both your ankles seem a bit strained. Oh, and you also have a concussion. All in all, you got off pretty lightly. I was expecting a lot worse. I think you're the first person to have fought a Ningenbanare and not get killed straight off."

I scowled

Ryou: "That's because the bastard was playing with me in the beginning. He only got serious about halfway through, but then I ran away."

Miharu nodded.

Miharu: "That was a good decision. If you fought him head to head, and he was serious, you would have been killed"

I looked away.

Ryou: "That doesn't make me feel any better."

She sighed.

Miharu: "Well, you're entitled to your opinion. Personally, I think it's stupid to fight someone you know you can't win."

I looked at her.

Ryou: "Then why are you fighting the Mugoi? Yuki said it herself, this resistance is no match for their power."

She flushed, and looked away.

Miharu: "That's different. We have a reason to fight."

Just then, Asuka came in, carrying a bunch of herbs.

Asuka: "I got the herbs you asked for, Miharu"

Miharu: "Thank you, Asuka. Just put them over there for now."

I glanced at Asuka.

Ryou: "Where are the others?"

Asuka: "Oh, they're training with their masters."

I raised an eyebrow

Ryou: "Masters?"

Asuka: "Oh, that's right! You don't know, cause you passed out. The three of us have been assigned masters. Masato's in charge of Koike, and Yuki's in charge of Emi. Miharu is my master. They'll teach us how to fight, and in my case, how to treat injuries."

Ryou: "What about me?"

Asuka: "Well, the person who's supposed to be your master is away on a mission. Besides, you're in no condition to train."

I glanced down. My chest was wrapped tightly in a bandage. My ankles and calves were similiarly wrapped. I reached up, and sure enough, there was a bandage around my head as well.

Ryou: "Why all the bandages? I'm pretty sure strained muscles don't need bandages, and all a concussion needs is some rest."

Miharu glanced at me

Miharu: "The bandages are there to keep the herbs pressed against the wound. Here, let me show you what the herbs are for. Asuka, you come here too. You can't do this right now, but you may as well learn as much as you can."

Miharu reached out, and touched the bandage on my head. Warmth radiated outward from her touch. When she pulled her hand away, the warmth receded, but the area covered by the bandages remained warm. She did the same with the other bandages, with the same result.

Miharu: "Ryou, describe what you feel to Asuka."

Ryou: "Well, I…feel warmth, I guess. When you touched me, warmth radiated from your hands. When you pulled away, the warmth receded, but remained where the bandages were."

Miharu nodded.

Miharu: "I used my ki to heal your wounds. Normally, I have to keep sending ki into the wound until it heals. But those herbs can retain ki, and then send it into the wound. This allows the healer to move on to other patients. Since we have a shortage of healers, this comes in very handy. Especially since the herbs enhance the effect of the ki."

_Cool_

I started to get out of the bed, when Miharu stopped me.

Miharu: "Oh no, you don't. I know your type. If I let you go in your condition, you're just going to come back in even worse shape. I'm going to keep you here for the next week or so."

I started to argue, then I noticed the look in her eye. I'd seen that look before. Normally, just before I'm about to lose an argument. I sighed, then slumped back.

Ryou: "Can I at least go and see the others?"

Miharu: "Not for another two days, young man."

_Great. This is gonna be boring._

Miharu must have noticed my gloomy expression.

Miharu: "In the meantime, I'm going to teach Asuka about herbs, and their effects. Want to listen in?"

_Well, at least it's something to do. And I'll probably need that knowledge soon._

I nodded, and the lessons began.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_**Chapter Six**_

"HYAAAAA-OOF!!!"

I winced as Yuki drove the hilt of her sword right into Emi's stomach.

It had been two days since we arrived here. Two days since we'd been pulled from our comfortably boring lives, and plonked right in the middle of a war. A war which had demons and half-demon hybrids. One of which had easily kicked my ass, when I was in top physical condition.

_Life's great, isn't it?_

I took a deep breath.

_At least the air here is cleaner._

I watched as Emi got to her feet, and faced Yuki. Emi's chosen weapon was the staff. I'd expected as much. Emi mainly practices wushu, and her favourite weapon is the staff. She'd gotten to be quite good with it. Now, all she has to do is learn how and when to use the moves she had learned.

Over the past two days, Koike and Emi had dropped by the hospital room I was in. Mostly, they were there to get herbal remedies for their bruises. I'd been watching them while we were chatting, and I'd noticed that they were more confident in the way they moved. It wasn't very obvious, so I wasn't sure, but looking at Emi training now, I could see it clearly. She was more confident in her movements, more trusting of her body's reflexes. Two days ago, her main problem was that she thought too much about her movements. Now, that problem was almost gone.

I walked over to the training ground where Koike was training. Koike was progressing even faster than Emi. He'd been training almost nonstop. The only reason he was still able to train was because of Miharu's herbs.

_The herbs in this land are incredible._

I sat down on a bench to watch Koike's training.

Koike stood about two meters in front of Masato. Koike's chosen weapon was the nunchaku. Again, I'd expected it. I didn't really like it, as nunchakus have a tendency to bounce if you hit something the wrong way, but hadn't objected. Koike had always been good at controlling the nunchaku, so I didn't think it was necessary. I glanced at Koike's rear foot. He'd raised his heel, putting all his weight on the front sole. I smiled inwardly. I knew what he was planning. Masato stood, his twin tonfa at the ready. Koike pushed off with his rear leg, and covered the distance in a second.

_There we go._

A normal human would have had a hard time keeping up, but Masato easily dodged the diagonal downward strike from Koike's nunchaku. Koike followed through, spinning and lashing out with a horizontal strike. Masato blocked it, and struck out with the tonfa on his right arm. Koike was forced to pull the nunchaku to his waist to compensate for the recoil, and he dodged the tonfa. Koike's free hand punched out at Masato's body. Koike spun, and kicked out with a back kick, but Masato side-stepped easily. Koike continued the spin, and brought his nunchaku around in a spinning strike. Masato raised his tonfa to block, but Koike's strike missed it entirely. Instead, Koike spun the nunchaku to his other hand, and, without slowing down at all, struck at Masato. Masato countered by striking Koike in the chest before the nunchaku strike could land.

_Damn. That was a good trick. Koike's becoming craftier by the second._

I sighed. I was bored. Miharu had said, in no uncertain terms, that I was to take it easy for the next week. That meant no training whatsoever. I could practice some katas, but nothing complex, and even then, I was only to practice when she was watching. And she didn't have much time either, what with treating the injured of the resistance and teaching Asuka about the medicine of this land. I'd given up after the first day of learning healing. I knew basic first-aid, mostly because I'd had to apply first-aid to myself and others while training under Fujiwara-sensei, but the type of healing that Miharu taught was different. She expected us to be able to memorize hundreds of types of herbs, and the method of preparing them for use. In the end, I gave up, and just memorized a few herbs that could disinfect and accelerate the healing of wounds with minimal preparation. Asuka, however, seemed to have a real gift for this. She devoured all the information that Miharu gave her and always remained eager for more.

I walked out of the training area, and headed away from the headquarters building.. After I had walked for some distance, I glanced back.

_So. This is the resistance headquarters._

It wasn't much. It was just a bunch of buildings, and fields of crops. It looked exactly like a medieval era town.

_What did you expect? A fortress? If the Mugoi and their army is as powerful as Yuki and the others say, then basically, the resistance is using guerrilla tactics, with priority on keeping the headquarters location secret. I'd bet that this is an actual town, and the residents are either part of the resistance, or have been bribed, or otherwise persuaded, to stay quiet._

I walked further away. I discovered a stream below a ridge, and lay down in the grass, in the shadow of the ridge. Then, I heard a rustle. Curious, I sat up. Three men stood on the other side of the stream, swords on their backs. Because of the grass, and the ridge's shadow, they hadn't seen me until I sat up.

They froze, then one of them laughed. "Its fine, men. It's just a puny human. Scared me for a second. I thought it was one of the enemy Ningenbanare."

I twitched. Probably, at least one of these guys were either Tenma or Ningenbanare. Either way, they could kill me if they wanted to. On the plus side, they were probably on the side of the resistance, and probably had been ordered not to harm humans. Probably.

The man who had spoken started to mutate.

_Ningenbanare!_

_Why is he transforming?_

_I don't know, but I don't think it'll be good for me._

I started to run, but a tentacle wrapped itself around my neck. I choked as it lifted me up to dangle in the air above the monsters head. It opened its mouth, a huge thing, with lots of sharp-looking fangs.

One of the other men snickered. "Boy, if you tell us if the resistance is anywhere in this area, I might be able to convince my friend here not to eat you."

_So much for them being from the resistance._

I clawed at the tentacle, to no effect. My vision was starting to darken

_Great. A week ago, I'd never passed out in my life, and now, I'm about to pass out for the second time in three days._

Something slammed into me, and I heard the monster roar. At the same time, I felt the pressure around my neck lessen. I hit the ground and rolled to my knees. I stayed there awhile, sucking in air to my lungs. I glanced up. The tentacle that had been wrapped around my neck was lying on the ground a few feet away, twitching periodically. Between me and the monster, stood a girl. She had black hair, tied up in a ponytail, and a katana in one hand. The monster roared, and lashed out with its other tentacle. She twirled, dodging the tentacle, and slashed it in half. The monster roared, then a dozen tentacles ripped out of its body and attacked the girl, forcing her back. The girl yelled at me. "I'll take care of this! You take out the other two!"

I blinked, then looked at the two men. They smirked, then drew their swords.

_You gotta be kidding._

I glanced back at the girl, but she was busy fighting the monster. I stood, facing the men. From their body language, I could tell that they were feeling cocky.

_I really hope these guys are just humans._

I burst forward, running through stream. I stumbled, and fell, one hand hitting the bottom of the stream. The men laughed, then one of them stepped forward, raising his sword one handed, obviously intending to strike downward. I almost sighed in disappointment

_Please. Anyone could dodge that._

I sidestepped the blow, then swung the fist-sized rock I'd found when I "fell" in the stream. It hit the man right on the head, knocking him out. Without stopping, I charged the second man. The man cursed, and jumped back, swinging his sword. I barely avoided the blade. Out of desperation, I hurled the rock at his face, hoping to knock him off balance, but he just ducked. I dropped into my stance, and watched the man's eyes, at the same time watching his sword in my peripheral vision. He stepped forward, swinging his sword wildly.

_Damn. If I had anything that could block his sword, I could beat this guy, easy._

_Fine. I'm just going to have to get cut._

Just as I was going to charge in, I caught sight of the sword the other guy had dropped. I dodged the man's next charge, then dashed forward and grabbed the sword. It was fairly heavy, but I could manage. The man swung his sword, and I stepped in, blocked the blade, and headbutted the man. I felt his nose crunch. I twisted, then dealt a back kick to the man's chest, knocking him backwards. I twisted again, and hit the man with a reverse hook kick, knocking him out. I smiled in satisfaction. I'd just taken out two armed men without aggravating my fractured ribs. I looked at the girl, just in time to see her get hit by two tentacles.

_That HAD to hurt._

She fell and rolled, putting some distance between her and the monster. I could see that she was protecting the spot where the tentacles had hit her. She was going to need help. So far, the monster was ignoring me.

I took a deep breath, then crossed the stream to the other side, where the girl and the monster was. I maneuvered until I was behind the monster. The girl glanced at me, then looked back at the monster. She yelled loudly, and chopped at some of the tentacles, then jumped away before she got hit.

_Good. She understands what I'm going to do._

I've never had any training in sword styles, but I had watched Fujiwara-sensei teaching some students. I had a move in mind that was well-suited for this situation. Fujiwara-sensei's style used a katana, like the one the girl was using, but I was going to have to make do with the double-edged sword I was holding. I gripped the hilt with two hands. This move was fairly simple. Basically, it was just a two-handed thrust, from the middle of the chest. Combined with a forward momentum, this move could go through hard leather.

I eyed the monster's back. I set my stance, rear heel raised. I pushed forward, keeping my body low, and the sword below my body.

_This is probably going to hurt my ribs, but it's better than being dead._

I stabbed forward, the blade sliced throught the air, going straight towards the monsters head. I felt a brief surge of triumph. Then the monster disappeared, leaving my blade to slice through thin air. I lost my balance, and fell. I rolled to my feet, and stood up. The girl stepped up beside me.

"Nice try."

I glanced at her.

Ryou: "Would have been better if I actually got the bastard."

The monster stood in front of us, laughing. "Did you actually think you could kill me with an attack that obvious? I could've heard your footsteps a mile away!"

I gripped the sword tighter. Beside me, the girl raised her sword. As one, we charged the monster. The monster laughed, and raised its tentacles.

_Well, this is probably it. The "Four" is gonna become the "Three"_

Then the monster's head exploded, blood spraying. The girl and I both froze. The monster's body stood there for a few seconds, then slowly toppled over, revealing a man standing behind the body. There was a scar running across the man's face, below his eyes. I glanced at his hand. Blood dripped from it.

_He crushed the monster's head with his bare hands?!_

The man spoke. "I've been looking for you, Ryou. I'm your master."

"My name is Shigehito."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_**Chapter Seven**_

I winced as Miharu rebandaged my ribs. They'd gotten torn when I fell while fighting that monster. According to Shigehito, it was a Tenma. Miharu sighed. "I thought I told you to take it easy?"

I scowled at her. "You'd rather I let that Tenma eat me?"

She sighed again. "Yes, yes. I just wish Shigehito had gotten there earlier. Still, I suppose you were lucky he was there at all. He was on his way back on his mission, and sensed the ki that Tenma was putting out. If he hadn't gone to check it out, by the time we'd arranged a squad to investigate, you'd probably have been killed."

She finished tying the bandage, and applied ki to it. Instantly, I felt the aching in my ribs disappear. "There. Now, go pack your things."

I nodded, put my shirt on, and then left. All around me, men and women were carrying boxes, and packing up. The resistance was switching locations. Those Mugoi I had encountered were quite close to the headquarters, and the resistance wasn't taking any chances. Someone clapped a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, and saw the girl who had saved me in the forest. She'd introduced herself as Suki. She smiled at me. "I'll see you at the next rally point, all right?" I smiled back. "Yea. I'd like that." She beamed, and walked away.

I walked up to the room I shared with Koike. When we arrived, we had been assigned two rooms. One for the girls, and one for Koike and I. Koike stepped out just as I walked up to the door. I glanced at the pack he was carrying. There was also a nunchaku strapped to his right thigh. "You got any idea where we're headed?" I shrugged. "Another town, probably." He nodded. "We're gathering at the town square." I nodded, then went into the room. We'd each been given three outfits, one pack, one water canteen and our choice of weapons. Emi and Koike had already chosen theirs. However, Asuka and I hadn't chosen. When they had offered us weapons, Asuka had flat out refused. She said she didn't ever want to kill anyone. The rest of us had shared her opinion, but we knew that we'd all have to kill soon. This was a war, after all. Asuka had yet to accept this, and the idea that we had to kill was something that bothered all of us. I'd fought those humans back in the forest, but I'd stopped short of killing them. I hadn't chosen any weapons because I hadn't decided which weapon suited me best.

I stepped into my room, and packed up. It didn't really take long. As I walked out, Asuka and Emi joined me. They were both carrying packs, and Emi had her staff in her hand. We chatted until we got to the town square. I glanced around. Before today, the town square had been used as a training area. Now, it was filled with resistance members and town residents who were setting up the marketplace. The whole thing was quick and efficient, as if they had done it many times. Of course, they probably had. When they were done, there was no evidence that the resistance headquarters had ever been there. Yuki climbed onto a box. In a loud voice, she spoke. "You all know what to do. I'll see you all at the next rally point. Good luck. Now, move out!"

The resistance scattered. Some took horses, and dragged wagons off. Others went on foot. They all went in different directions. I stood with the others, looking around uncertainly. Yuki, Miharu, Masato, and Shigehito walked up. Yuki spoke. "Come, you'll be going with us. You'll be continuing your training while we travel."

I perked up. "Really?"

Shigehito smirked, and was about to say something, when Miharu cut in. "Not you, Ryou. I don't think your ribs are perfectly healed yet." Shigehito opened his mouth again, but Miharu glared at him. Shigehito gulped, then looked away.

I sighed, then lifted my pack. "Let's get going then."

5 days later, we reached the next town. As Yuki and Masato went to find the village chief to negotiate supplies for the resistance personnel who would soon be arriving. While they were gone, Shigehito told me that most towns would house the resistance for free. Because of that, the resistance chose only the towns that could afford it, and always paid a token sum. It might not be enough to cover the cost of food for the resistance, but at least it was something. After that, Miharu took a look at my ribs, and declared them healed.

_Finally….._

I grinned, then looked at Shigehito. He grunted, then said. "We'll train when we're done setting up the things the resistance needs.

"How long will that take?"

"Normally, about half a day or so."

"We train this evening, then?"

"Suppose so"

That evening, I went to the field that had been designated as the training ground. Since most of the resistance members that worked in the headquarters hadn't arrived yet, the training field was mostly empty. The only other members were Yuki, Emi, Koike and Masato. Yuki and Emi were at the south end of the field, while Koike and Masato were at the north end of the field. Shigehito and I were at the center. "Well, if I'm going to train you, I need to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie. I watched some of your fight with that Tenma the other day, but, it wasn't exactly an epic battle" He chuckled when he said that. I glared at him. Anyway, the fastest way for me to figure out your strengths is to spar with you." I blinked.

He stood easily, feet at shoulder width, arms dangling at his sides.

"Anytime you're ready."

I approached cautiously, then threw a right jab at Shigehito's face. He grabbed my wrist and twisted, flipping me over. I broke my fall with my left hand, and threw a twin side kick at Shigehito. He jumped back, releasing my hand.

"Not bad. For a toddler."

I grinned, then charged.

Half an hour later, I hit the ground for what felt like the fifth hundredth time. I groaned, then forced myself to my feet.

"Enough."

I blinked in surprise. "Sensei?"

Shigehito raised a hand, and said "Don't call me that. I'm not your sensei. I'm here to turn you into the best fighter you can possibly be. I'm here to force you to reach your limits, and then to break them. I don't want any of that teacher-student crap to get in the way. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Don't call me that either. Just use my name."

"Yes, Shigehito."

"Better. Now, your agility is more or less satisfactory, but you need to bring up your strength and speed. I want you to do these exercises."

I spent the rest of the evening doing the exercises that Shigehito taught me. It was dark by the time he finally told me to go get some rest. I sighed in relief, and dragged myself off to find some food and water before sleeping. All the same, it felt good to stretch my limits after so long without training.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**_Chapter Eight_**

I woke up to a strange feeling of weightlessness. I opened my eyes, and saw the ground rushing up to me.

_What the?!_

I rolled, got my feet under me, and looked around. I was in the field again.

"Hmph. Your reflexes need a bit more work."

I looked in the direction of the voice. Even though he was only standing a few meters away, I could only make out a dark shape. I could recognize the voice though. It was the same one that had been yelling at me yesterday.

"Shigehito?"

"And you sleep like a log. That won't do. What if you're attacked in your sleep?"

"Dude, seriously. It's not even dawn yet." I winced as my body reminded me of the punishment it had been given yesterday.

"Exactly"

_Huh?_

The shape blurred forward, and I got hit in the chest. I jumped backwards to absorb the hit. "Tch!" I opened my eyes as wide as I could, to let my retinas absorb maximum light. Even so, I barely saw the kick flying towards my head. I ducked, then jabbed forward. I didn't use full power. Instead, I concentrated on striking out and pulling back as fast as I could, so each punch became like a flick. He blocked and deflected all of them, but since I didn't use full power, I wasn't thrown off balance. Shigehito took a step back, and twisted. Sensing what was coming, I jumped and twisted, my body parallel to the ground. I actually felt his kick brush past my face. Landing from my jump, I shoulder charged Shigehito. He jumped and somersaulted over me, grabbing my shoulders as he went. When he landed, he threw me away. I bounced and skidded, rolling the whole time to minimize the force. When I finally stopped, I was about 20 meters away from him. I sweatdropped.

_You __gotta__ be kidding._

I stood up, and called over to Shigehito. "Y'know, this really isn't fair. You're so much stronger and faster than me that it's ridiculous."

"Oh, I'm sorry, does the wittle whiner want me to slow down?"

I froze. Shigehito had disappeared, and now his voice was coming from a point right beside my ear. I spun, right arm raised in an elbow strike, but he blocked the elbow and hit me in the ribs, sending me flying. I rolled to my feet, clutching my side.

"Wake up, boy! Life's never fair, even more so when in a war. You think you're only gonna be fighting humans? You may only be a human now, but you are one of the Four. The ones who have been prophesized to defeat the three Mugoi. At this moment, you are only human, but you are expected to be able to fight a Tenma, or a Ningenbanare, and win. I am trying to train you to that level! Or are you going to give up?"

I grunted, and pushed myself to my feet. I glared at Shigehito. I could feel the old anger stir. I'd spent a large part of my life trying to suppress that part of me. Even so, right now, anger was only an asset. I whispered. "I won't give up."

"I can't hear you!" shouted Shigehito. I felt the anger envelop me, lending strength to my body. I roared, and charged.

"I WON'T GIVE UP!!!"

An hour later, I collapsed onto the ground, panting. Shigehito squatted down beside me. I twisted, and tried to punch his face. He grabbed my wrist, and grinned. "I'll give you this. You have _got _to be the most stubborn person I know. Take a break, get some breakfast. I'll start teaching you how to fight later."

With that, he leaped away. Lying there, staring up at the clouds, I grinned.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**_Chapter Nine_**

Shigehito cracked his knuckles.

"Now, you need to start controlling your anger. Anger is fine, it bolsters your strength, and makes pain easier to deal with. That's why a berserker usually has high destructive potential, and is hard to take down without killing. But it also clouds your judgment, and that can be lethal in battle. That's why berserkers usually have a short lifespan on the battlefield. What I want you to achieve, is to let your anger run wild in your body, while maintaining a calm mind."

I thought about it awhile. "So, basically, you want me to balance anger and calmness?"

"Yes. Sort of like _Heart of Fire, Mind of Ice._"

I grinned. "It's got a nice ring to it."

I closed my eyes, and focused.

_Okay. Now, first thing should be to rouse my anger._

I concentrated. And concentrated. And concentrated.

Eventually, I sighed, and looked up at Shigehito.

"A little help?"

He sighed. "I thought that might happen. You've probably been suppressing your anger for a long time, so now it's hard for you to bring it up. Maybe this'll help" He smacked my head before I could reply.

"OW!"

I grabbed onto the spark of irritation I felt when Shigehito hit me. I fed it, and let it grow, until it raged in my mind. I compartmentalized it, pushing it into a corner. Shigehito moved again. Without thinking, my hand flipped up, and blocked. I blinked, surprise temporarily dulling my anger. It had been the first time I blocked one of Shigehito's hits. He smirked.

"I forgot to mention. Anger is a primal emotion, so when you're using it, you are more in touch with your instincts. That speeds up your reflexes."

I nodded. I let the anger burn hotter.

"Let's go."

At lunch time, we took a break. By now, a lot of the headquarters personnel had arrived, and were watching us train. Apparently, since the headquarters had only just been set up, a lot of them had nothing to do. I sat down, only noticing the fatigue in my limbs when I sat. I sighed. I was too tired too move. Shigehito stood over me, barely even breathing hard.

_Man, that incredible strength, speed and stamina almost makes being only part human worth it._

"Get some rest, eat lunch, maybe take a nap. We'll train when it's a bit cooler."

I shaded my eyes against the sun, which was beating down mercilessly. It was hot, but not as hot as some afternoons back in town. Still, it was hot enough to make dragging myself into the shade worth it. I grunted and pulled myself to a sitting position. I looked around for Shigehito. He was gone.

_So much for asking for some help_

I searched for the nearest big piece of shade. The nearest one was under a tree, about 50 meters away. I groaned, then collapsed.

_So faaaaar….._

"Ryou!"

I groaned. I'd just gotten comfortable. I rolled over, and looked in the direction of the voice.

"Suki? Hi! When did you get here?"

She ran up to me, and smiled. "I got here this morning. I'd have come looking for you earlier, but I had to report in. You okay? You look wiped."

I grunted. "I AM wiped. Hey, gimme a hand, will ya? I want to get outta this sun."

She laughed. "Wow. You really are wiped. Unless this is just an excuse to touch me?" She glared at me. I gulped.

"What?! No! Nuh-uh! No way!"

"So you don't find me attractive?"

"Huh? No! I mean, yes! I mean, uh, you're attractive! Really attractive!"

"So you ARE trying to touch me."

I was about to reply, then I saw her trying to hide a smile. I glared at her.

"Having fun, are we?"

She giggled.

"Are you gonna help me, or just stand there and make a fool out of me while I dehydrate under the sun?"

She stood there awhile, smiling, then sighed and grabbed my arm. After some effort, we finally made it into the shade. I collapsed gratefully onto the grass. Then, my stomach growled. She froze for a moment, then giggled.

"Wait here. I'll go get us some lunch." She ran off before I could say anything. I must've dozed off, because the next thing I knew, she was shaking me gently.

"Food's here." It wasn't anything fancy. Just bread, cheese, and roasted meat. But at the moment, it was like a gourmet meal to me. I was famished. Apparently, fighting a Ningenbanare for half a day can really work up an appetite. When I was done, Suki tossed me a small flask. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I have my own water canteen, you know."

"That's not water. I bumped into Miharu on the way over here, and she asked me to pass this to you. I think its something to help with your sore muscles."

I took a sip, and blanched. It tasted seriously bitter.

_At least its small._

I screwed up my face, and finished the whole thing in one go. I sighed, and laid back. Maybe it was the medicine, or maybe it was the food, but I felt better now.

Suki smiled, she was still eating.

'Wow, you eat fast."

I grunted.

"So, what kind of torture is old Shigehito putting you through now?"

I shrugged. "He's teaching me to harness my anger. Of course, he has to teach me to get angry first."

She blinked. "Are you really THAt hard to annoy?"

I scowled at her. "That's not what I mean. There's a difference between annoyance and anger. When I was growing up, I learned to suppress my anger. By now, it's become instinctive."

"So, he's turning you into a berserker?"

I laughed. "Not really. If I had to put it into words, I'd say he's teaching me to become a _calm _berserker."

She looked confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I smiled. "It's a very hard concept to grasp. It's even harder to do. I keep letting my anger control me, instead of the other way around."

Just then, Shigehito walked up.

"Okay, let's get back to work. You still need a lot of training."

I groaned, then stood up.

"Well, I guess I'll see ya later."

She stood up as well. "Okay. I have to take care of something anyway. Have fun."

I glared at her as she walked off. Shigehito chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

I scowled at him, then started to feed my anger. It was becoming easier now. Briefly, I wondered whether that was a good thing.

_It'll help me stay alive. That counts as a good thing in my book._

I shrugged mentally, then got on with the training.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**_Chapter Ten_**

I stood at the edge of the training field, looking around. It was night time. Most of the resistance were asleep, except for those on patrol. Other than them, I knew that there were a few Ningenbanare in the buildings who were alert for any trace of enemy ki.

I breathed in the cold air. It had been several months since we first got here. When I started training, at the end of the day, I was so completely exhausted that I sometimes didn't bother going back to the tent I shared with Koike to sleep. Though, when I woke up, there was always a blanket covering me. Anyway, after awhile the training didn't exhaust me as much. It was still tiring, but my body's ability to recover had improved, and I caught my breath faster. Downside, my insomnia was back. Which is why I was here, doing some late night training.

I closed my eyes, then started doing the katas that Fujiwara-sensei had taught me. I hadn't practiced them at all since I got here. Frankly, I was feeling a bit guilty. I was halfway through the last kata he had taught me when my instincts kicked in, and I ducked. A dark blur whipped through the air my head had been.

"Good. You're learning to pay attention to your instincts."

I sighed. "Shigehito. What the hell is it with you and fighting in the dark?"

"You think you'll only ever have to fight in the day? Eventually, you're going to have a fight in a situation where you can't see."

I shrugged. I couldn't argue with that logic.

"Anyway, you shouldn't be out here. Get some rest while you still can. You have training tomorrow."

"I can't sleep."

"Hmph. Then get yourself some ale from the mess tent and drink yourself to sleep."

I was about to reply when the frantic ringing of a bell cut through the night air. It took me a moment to figure out what it was.

_Alarm bell._

Shigehito cursed. "The Mugoi have found us! Damnit. You're not ready yet!"

He pushed me in the direction of my tent. "Pack your things! The others will try to hold them off!"

A scream rose from the village entrance, then was cut off. Shigehito pushed me again, then ran in the direction of the scream. I wanted to go after him, but I turned away and ran back to my tent. Koike was just coming out, nunchaku in his hand. From the tent beside us, Emi, armed with her staff, and Asuka climbed out.

"Ryou! What's going on?"

"Mugoi" I replied tersely. "Shigehito told us to pack our things."

"We're leaving?"

"No, you're not."

We froze, then turned in the direction of the voice. Five men stood there, smirks on their faces. "And don't even think about running. We're all Ningenbanare here.

_Damn! Five of them. This isn't good._

"Who says we'll be running?"

I glanced to the side. Suki was there, her katana gleaming in the light from the lanterns that had recently been lit. Another two men stepped out from the shadows. One was wielding a broadsword, and another had twin short swords in his hands.

The lead Ningenbanare laughed. "Seven humans against five Ningenbanare? I feel sorry for you."

The Ningenbanare started to spread out. Automatically, we formed a defensive circle around Asuka, the only person in the group without combat training. I didn't have time to ask how the Suki and the strangers knew about Asuka's lack of training. I started to gather my rage.

The leader spoke. "Hmm? You're all protecting one human? Does that mean she can't fight on her own?"

I used the Ningenbanare's mocking tone to fuel my anger. "That's none of your business"

_This isn't good. Koike's style requires room to move around, or at least no allies to worry about hitting._

I sighed.

_I'm probably going to regret this._

"Koike, stick with me! The rest of you, don't break formation, and protect Asuka!"

Without waiting for a reply, I ran off to the side, Koike following me. Two Ningenbanare followed us. I'd been hoping for only one, but I'd expected this. One of them stopped right in front of me. I jumped to the side, landed on some barrels, and jumped again, vaulting over the Ningenbanare. He tried to catch me, but I managed to twist my feet out of the way at the last moment. I landed in a roll, and kept running. I'd lost sight of Koike by now.

_Good luck, buddy._

I'd reached the training field by now. I skidded to a stop, and faced the Ningenbanare that followed me. He grinned. "Tired of running?"

I didn't answer. I stood in a loose ready stance. Because Ningenbanare were much faster and stronger than I was, I had to be able to move at an instant's notice, and a tense stance didn't let me do that. At least it was brighter now. Lanterns had been lit, and I could see everything more or less clearly.

_Let's see just how much stronger I've gotten._

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

**_Chapter Eleven_**

The Ningenbanare grinned, then charged me head on. I blinked.

_No way…_

I stepped forward, bringing my elbow up. The Ningenbanare crashed right into my elbow. Only the Ningenbanare's enhanced skeletal structure saved him from broken teeth. My elbow hurt though. My left hand crashed out, strength enhanced by rage. My fist slammed into the Ningenbanare's solar plexus, knocking him backward.

_Something's weird about this guy.._

The Ningenbanare charged to my left, I didn't bother turning. The daily fights with Shigehito had taught me one thing. The only way for me to follow the speed of Tenma and Ningenbanare was by using my peripheral vision. The Ningenbanare rushed towards my left side, sword swinging wildly.

_He's had almost no training._

I stepped forward, and the blade missed. Before I could counterattack, the Ningenbanare was gone. He'd rushed straight past me. I frowned

_Strange. I thought for sure he'd try another attack.__Could it be?_

He charged again. To test my theory, I rolled forward before he reached me. Instead of changing his direction to run at me, he rushed straight past the place I was, and crashed through a few boxes.

_Its…as if he can't control his speed! But, how? According to Shigehito, when a human turns Ningenbanare, his speed and strength only increases gradually!_

_Could the Mugoi have figured out a way to give a newly turned Ningenbanare full speed and strength?_

I cursed. There was no time for speculation. This may have been a rookie Ningenbanare who couldn't control his speed and power, but he was still a threat. One direct hit from that sword, and I was dead. Though, I had a little bit of leeway now.

The Ningenbanare ran towards me. I snorted. He should have learned by now that charging me head on wasn't gonna work. I stepped forward, and slid down in a sliding tackle. One foot hit his lead foot, causing him to trip. The other foot, with toes pointed forward, forming a spear, stabbed straight into his groin. He gasped, and bent over. My hands were already moving. Since I was only human, I could only manage two strikes. But I made them count. My left hand struck his solar plexus again, and my right hand, middle knuckles extended, struck his neck. The he flew over me, and skidded through the grass. I was on my feet in an instant. Shigehito had happily stomped on me many times when I didn't get up fast enough. I held the Ningenbanare's stare. By now, rage was burning through my body, and my mind was completely calm. All emotions had long been discarded. In this state, my reflexes were at their fastest, and all hesitation, the one thing that had been holding me back, was gone. The Ningenbanare coughed up blood.

"How is this possible! How am I being defeated by one _human?!_"

_Because you can't even control your own body. Because you've barely had any training. Because you lack the ability to adapt yourself to the situation. Because you underestimated your enemy._

_Because I'm better than you._

I felt no need to explain to the Ningenbanare. I was no longer the person that I normally was. Here, in battle, I was ruthless, because battle is ruthless. The Ningenbanare stood up, then charged me again, sword extended in front of him. I slapped the sword away, then struck forwards, into his neck. I switched my hand to the back of his head, then head-butted the Ningenbanare. He reared back, exposing his neck again.

My hand reached up, then I slammed my elbow into his neck. My other hand blurred forward, fingers extended, and stabbed into the neck, almost breaking my fingers. As the Ningenbanare stumbled backward, I grabbed his head, and leapt up, ramming my knee into his face. This time, he fell. I quick-stepped up, and landed an axe kick to his neck. I felt the bone snap. The sound and feel of it sickened me.

I stumbled back from the body and fought the urge to vomit.

_Jesus…_

"This is why I said you weren't ready."

I looked up to see Shigehito, standing next to the body. I looked away.

"I just killed someone."

Shigehito sighed.

"If it helps, you did well."

"Then why do I feel like I've failed? That man, has family and probably friends! A mother! A father! Brothers! Sisters! Hell, maybe even a wife and kids! What right do I have to take him away from those close to him!? What makes MY life more important than HIS?!

Shigehito stood there a moment, then hit me in the head.

"What-?"

"This is WAR, boy! IF you hadn't killed him, that would've been YOUR body lying there! Imagine what your friends would have felt! Imagine what your family would have felt!"

He grabbed my shirt collar. In a low, dangerous voice, he spoke.

"Also, this war isn't just about you. If you die, here, countless others will die with you. Men, women, children. All of them _will die_, killed by the Mugoi. We need _you_ to stop them. So I'll be damned, if I'm gonna let some sentimental _brat _ruin the resistance's best chance of beating the thrice-damned Mugoi!"

He pushed me back.

"Now, lets go back to the others."

With that, he turned and left. I stood there a moment, then followed him.

When we got back to the tent, Koike was already back. I glanced at him.

"You killed the Ningenbanare?"

Koike shook his head. "Masato got to him first."

I nodded, then sat down in front of the fire someone had set up. I glanced at Emi. "What about you?"

She shook her head. "Ralph-" she pointed at the guy with the twin swords "stabbed one in the head, and Yuki took out the other one."

I nodded again, then looked into the fire. "What about you?"

I glanced at Emi. "I did what I had to do."

Suki sat beside me. "You okay?"

I looked back to the fire. "I'm fine."

_That's a lie and you know it._

_Shut up. I'm not in the mood._

Yuki walked up. Apparently, she'd been having a meeting with the other leaders. I remembered something.

"Hey, Yuki."

"Yes, Ryou?"

"The Ningenbanare I fought. There was something weird about him. He had the speed and strength of a Ningenbanare, but he couldn't control it."

Yuki nodded.

"We know, Ryou. The other Ningenbanare who attacked were the same way. Long ago, the Mugoi found that a combination of herbs, treated in a certain way, would greatly accelerate the development of newly created Ningenbanare. This is the primary reason that, in almost every confrontation with the Mugoi, we inflict more casualties than we sustained."

Miharu reached over, and grasped my right hand. There was a cut on the back of it. I hadn't even noticed, though now I could feel the sting.

_Must've been from when I slapped the Ningenbanare's sword away._

I roughly pulled my hand away from Miharu. I immediately felt guilty for it. "I'm fine" I muttered, then crawled into my tent. I heard Yuki talking.

"Okay. We move out in the morning. Everyone, try to get some sleep."

The fire was put out, and Koike crawled into his side of the tent. I stayed awake long after he started snoring.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the face of the man I'd killed, face twisted in bloodlust, reaching for me.

I sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Twelve**_

I breathed in the cold mountain air, letting it calm me. I watched my opponent carefully. He was well-trained, and wielded his weapon with a high degree of proficiency. However, I'd spotted an opening in his style.

I charged in, careful not to let my center of gravity get too far forward. My opponent swung downwards, trying to nail me on my head. I stopped, and stepped back, letting the weapon slip by. When it was past, I threw a back kick. My opponent stepped around the back kick, spinning as he did so, and swung his weapon right into my side with enough forced to knock me over.

I grunted as the nunchaku slammed into me. I fell and rolled, coming up a few metres away from Koike. He grinned at me. "You lose, Ryou. I could've killed you by swinging at your head."

I grinned at him. "Lucky strike."

_He's gotten better. I'm still slightly faster, but his strength has far surpassed me._

Shigehito scowled, and threw a small pouch at Masato, who caught it while grinning. I swore I heard what sounded like the clinking of coins.

Yuki spoke up "Emi, you're up next."

I watched as Emi stood up, her staff in her hand. I took stock of my body. I'd received quite a few hits from Koike, and my forearms felt tender. But overall, I could still fight at full strength.

I breathed out, trying to regain my sense of calm. After the fight with that enemy Ningenbanare, I'd decided not to use the _Heart of Fire, Mind of Ice_ technique that Shigehito taught me. Because of the anger that pumped through my body, I'd killed the man before I realized what I was doing. That technique was too dangerous. At least, with my new technique, _Frozen Soul, _I'd be in control if and when I wanted to kill. The strength advantage offered by Shigehito's technique was outweighed by the risk.

Emi stood in front of me, and raised her hands, one palm curled around a fist, in the traditional Chinese wushu salute. I returned the gesture, and bowed. She held her staff expertly, waiting for me to move.

_Okay. With that staff, she can attack and defend simultaneously. That means punches and kicks won't work. I wouldn't feel right about hitting her anyway. So, I'll try to disarm her. That means judo moves._

I shifted my feet, adopting a wide stance, and held my hands in front of me, palms facing her. I kept my eyes on her face, looking for any signs that she was going to attack. I also watched her staff in my peripheral vision.

_Emi doesn't have much patience. She'll be attacking any minute now…_

She moved, front foot sliding forward, staff arcing upward.

_Fast!_

I side-stepped the swing, and moved in, trying to grab her shirt so I could throw her. I'd forgotten about the other end of her staff. Emi was kind enough to remind me by forcefully introducing it to my jaw.

_Ooh…Pretty stars…_

My instincts flared, and I brought both my arms up in a cross block, stopping Emi's staff just before it hit my head. I grabbed her staff, and twisted, trying to get it out of her hands. She twisted with the motion, and landed, planting her feet firmly, and yanked when I was off balance. The staff slipped right out of my hands. She swiped at me, and I jumped back.

_I'm stronger than her, but she's waaay fast._

Emi stepped forward, her staff whirling. "_Six Harmony Staff: Arrow Pierces the Moon!"_

I blinked, and suddenly Emi's staff was an inch away from my forehead. Masato and Shigehito winced, and threw two small bags to Yuki and Miharu.

"Awright! Show em, Emi!" Suki cheered.

After the attack on the headquarters, Yuki and the others had taken us to the mountains for training. Suki, Ralph, Bruno (The big guy with the broadsword) and Hino (A girl with red hair, and an expert with all staff weapons including spear and longsword) had followed as our bodyguards. We'd all gotten to know each other quite well. Suki was my bodyguard, Ralph was Koike's bodyguard, Bruno was Asuka's bodyguard, and Hino was in charge of Emi. Emi's improvement was faster than all of us, possibly because she had two teachers, Yuki and Hino.

I trudged over to Suki. "Gee, thanks for the support." She giggled, and ran her hand through my hair.

"I know this will only motivate you to train harder."

I smiled. "You know me too well."

"Just don't overdo it, alright?"

I smiled innocently at her. She sighed. "You're gonna overdo it, aren't you?"

I grinned. "At least I'll have you to take care of me when I pass out."

Shigehito shouted. "OI! Get over here, boy! It's obvious I haven't been training you hard enough!"

My eyes glinted. "Bring it, grandpa!

_This is gonna be tough as hell._

_Cool._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

_**Shigehito's POV**_

"Y'know, I still don't get why you won't use the technique I taught you." I remarked as I watched Ryou go through a strength/balance exercise.

Ryou grunted as he did another push-up. While standing on his hands. And balancing a rock on his legs.

"We've already gone over this, Shigehito. It goes against my principles, that's all."

"Hmph. You seemed fine with it when I first taught it to you."

"That's cause I only realized the true meaning of it in battle."

I snorted. "You're going to have to kill a lot more, you know."

"With this technique, at least I'll kill them on purpose, not because of my body's reflexes.

"Since you decided to change techniques, you have to build up this technique up from scratch. That's the main reason why Koike and Emi trounced you so badly."

Ryou smiled. "That just mean I have to work twice as hard as them."

I turned away.

_Hmph. This boy… I can't tell if his stubborn is the sign of potential or of stupidity._

I swept my leg out in a sweeping kick, knocking Ryou's arms out from under him. He rolled, coming up to his feet and attacked back, already entering his battle mind, _Frozen Soul._

_It'll be interesting to see just how good he can be._

I dodged his punch, blocked his follow-up, then grabbed his heel when he tried a reverse hook kick.

_I suppose we're lucky that three of the Four are already relatively proficient in the martial arts. Though we need to find a weapon for Ryou._

Still holding his heel, I twisted, and slammed him into the ground. He flipped to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth where he'd bitten himself.

_He's getting tougher. And he was tough to begin with._

He charged, attacking with a low sweep followed by a high turning kick. If it weren't for the fact that my speed was so much higher than his, he would have gotten me. Still, it was close.

_He holds back when he fights his friends. He would have lost anyway, because at his current level, he can't beat armed fighters of Emi's and Koike's level. Still, he holds back. I'm not even sure whether he's aware of it._

Without stopping the spin of his high turning kick, Ryou spun again, and kicked out with another reverse hook. As I reached up to grab it, he suddenly pulled his leg in, increasing the speed of his spin. In a second, his other leg was almost to my face in a turning roundhouse. I dodged it, but it was the closest he'd ever come to hitting me. I blocked his next punch with a palm, and pushed him back.

"Take a break."

_He is progressing faster and faster. For a human to even be able to touch a Ningenbanare with my level of skill… Now I see how he was able to hold off that Ningenbanare in his dimension._

I turned, and leapt up to one of the trees around the clearing. I broke off a few branches, then stuck them into the ground, then repeated the process. Soon, upright branches covered half the clearing. I ran through them, randomly stamping holes into the ground.

"Ryou."

He walked over from where he'd been resting.

"Run through this course. Don't hit the branches, and don't step into the holes."

He grinned, eyes glinting at the challenge. He ran, and dodged through the clearing. He clipped quite a few of the branches, and stumbled into the holes. He emerged at the other side, then ran through the course again without waiting for me to say anything. He still got clipped, and stepped into the holes, but less than before. I nodded, satisfied, then went to get some lunch. I didn't worry about Ryou. In the early months of training, he would often skip lunch to train, and collapse a few hours after lunch time. Now though, Suki would come with his lunch, and make him stop long enough to eat it. All in all, that girl had been good for him. Since we got here, Ryou hadn't been out for any late night self-training sessions, and he seemed less tired.

_**Ryou's POV**_

I ran through the course again. I weaved through the branches easily enough, only clipping a few here and there. But the holes were a problem. My peripheral vision wasn't good enough to see the holes, and I couldn't look at the branches while looking at the ground. Slowly though, my peripheral vision's ability to pick up details was improving. Now, I hardly ever stumbled.

"Ryou!"

I finished the course, then turned to see Suki coming, a basket in her hands. Her katana was strapped to her waist. Everyday after lunch, Suki would spend a few hours teaching me her family's style of swordplay. I was still nowhere near her level, but I didn't mind. Suki was skilled enough to defeat Tenma, as long as she didn't have to worry about other, less skilled allies. You didn't get that kind of skill overnight.

After lunch, Suki stood up, and picked up two relatively straight sticks. She tossed one to me.

"Come on."

I grinned, hefting the stick in my right hand. I stood easily, then rushed forward. Suki dodged my thrust, And swung her stick up along the mine, and would have hit my head if I hadn't ducked. I twisted my waist, and slashed horizontally. She stepped back.

"_Sakura Blade: Hawks Talons!"_

In an instant, her stick was an inch from my throat. I stepped back. She smiled at me.

"Again."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

The next day, as I ate breakfast with the others, Shigehito and Suki walked up and passed a packet of food to each of us. I blinked.

"We're going to my ancestral home." said Suki. "It's not far from here, and I got permission from Yuki. Shigehito's coming with us. Yuki, Miharu and Masato have to report to the resistance anyway, so this is a good time to kill two birds with one stone."

I spoke up. "No offense, Suki, but I was under the impression that training us was kinda important. Why're we going to your home?"

"Well, in my ancestral home, there's a vault that only a member of my family can open. Inside, there is a collection of Fumetsu weapons."

_Fumetsu? Indestructible weapons?_

Koike asked the question before I could. "Fumetsu weapons? Why would we need indestructible weapons? Our own weapons have served well enough."

"Yea, and I don't even use weapons." I said.

Shigehito spoke up. "Fumetsu weapons are incredibly old. All of them were forged from an unknown metal over a thousand years ago. Most of them have been lost. There are only a handful left, and they are prized above all else. They are valuable, because in a fight between two fully developed Ningenbanare, or a fight between strong Tenma, only Fumetsu weapons can withstand the force. Ordinary weapons will shatter. Because of this, the Fumetsu weapons in Suki's home are extremely valuable. The only reason we've waited for so long to take them was because there was no way the weapons could be stolen. Not from that vault."

With that, he turned and walked away. We filled our water canteens, and hurried to catch up. Walking beside Suki, I asked her. "Why does your home have Fumetsu weapons? From the way Shigehito was speaking, they seem quite rare."

She smiled sadly. "My clan, was one of the greatest clans in this land. We were famous for our fighting strength and for our skill at weapon forging. The lands you see around you used to be under the rule of my family. We were responsible for its protection, and we protected it well. Under our rule, the land prospered."

"What happened?"

Her smile faded. "The Mugoi came. My entire clan rode out to meet them in battle. As the youngest child in my clan, I was left behind. My brother, only two years older than me, rode out with the others. My clan, along with the other ruling clans from the other states, faced them on the battlefield. However, our forces were composed mainly of humans, and a few Ningenbanare. Their forces were almost completely Tenma. Even though we outnumbered them, we were slaughtered. As far as I know, I am the last of my clan."

I didn't know what to say. In the end, I just put my hand on her shoulder, and whispered. "I'm sorry."

She squeezed my hand, and continued her story.

"Yuki was the one who came to my home, and asked me to join the resistance. The family vault will only open to those of my family that are above sixteen years of age. At the time, I was only fifteen. Thankfully, before my mother rode out to war, she opened the vault, and gave me a scroll. Inside the scroll, was everything I needed to continue my training by myself. But now, I've learned everything I could from that scroll. And I just passed my sixteenth birthday. It is time to continue my training."

"So, it's not just weapons inside that vault?"

"No. There are also scrolls, written by the members of my family. In those scrolls, are the techniques and katas of every martial art practiced by the members of my clan.. From unarmed fighting styles to weapons styles, everything is there. My clan used to pride itself on the varied styles in the clan. We used to have annual tournaments. Poor uncle Genryu always said he'd win the tournament, but he never did."

I could hear the amusement in her voice.

'What style did he practice?"

She actually giggled a little.

"Drunken Fist. But since alcohol is prohibited to all the participants of the tournament…"

I blinked, and chuckled.

"Poor guy."

After an hour of brisk walking, we'd came to a hill. Shigehito turned to Suki. She walked forward a little.

"My clan estate is just over this hill."

She walked forward. I started to follow her, but Shigehito stopped me. I looked at him quizzically.

"This is her first time home in a year. Give her some time to remember her family."

I watched as she climbed the hill. At the top, she stopped, and stood there a while. Then she suddenly ran forward.

"Suki? Suki!" I called after her. Shigehito let me go, and I ran after her. I was vaguely aware of the others following me.

We reached the top of the hill. I froze in shock.

_I guess, news about the vault of Fumetsu weapons got out, and reached the wrong ears._

The only word that could describe it was destruction. Someone had been here, probably the Mugoi, and they hadn't given up on the Fumetsu weapons easily. From the debris lying around, I guessed that a pretty big house had once stood there. There was nothing left, however. It looked like the Mugoi had torn the house apart, then set fire to it. The only thing left standing was a small shrine in the center of all the debris and ash. I spotted Suki kneeling among the ashes, near a burned out tree trunk that must've been huge before it burned. I stopped a few steps from her. I could see her shoulders shaking, even though there was no sound. Not knowing what else to do, I reached out, and pulled her close to me. She resisted for a minute, then turned and buried her face in my chest. I stroked her hair, and whispered reassuringly in her ear. Emi came over. Emi and Suki had gotten pretty close lately. Emi leaned in and hugged Suki too. We stayed like that for awhile. Then Suki whispered "Thank you." and pushed us away gently.

She stood up, and gestured toward the shrine. "The entrance to the vault is that way."

As we went closer, I saw that I was wrong. It wasn't a shrine. Or, at least, it wasn't a statue of a god in there. It was a statue of a man, a katana in one hand, and a blacksmiths hammer in the other.

At the statue, Suki bowed once, then pulled her sword out, and cut her palm. She walked forward, and let the blood drip onto the base of the statue. The statue rumbled, then a trapdoor opened, revealing a staircase inside. Asuka quickly stopped the bleeding with some herbs. Suki nodded her thanks, and continued inside. We followed her, and found ourselves in a large room, with racks of weapons on one side, and shelves of scrolls on the other. Shigehito was the last to come in. He closed the trapdoor behind him. Suki turned around, and smiled slightly, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Please, choose whatever weapon you want." Then she went towards the shelves.

Hino smiled, and made a beeline for the weapons racks. After a while, the others followed, except Asuka. She looked at me. I sighed.

"Keep Suki company for me, would ya?"

She smiled. "Sure"

Shigehito stood by the door. "I'll make sure we don't get unwanted visitors."

I leaned against the wall, and closed my eyes. "You should go pick out a weapon for yourself."

I sighed. "We've gone over this. You don't use a weapon, and neither will I."

"As it is now, you are far weaker than Koike and Emi. You need a weapon. Or at least something that will let you block blades without getting cut. Go take a look around. Maybe you'll find something you like."

I sighed again. "Fine, fine."

I walked among the weapons racks, and I saw many weapons, but I saw none that would suit me. Then I turned a corner, and right there, in an alcove, was a weapon that was unique. It was made of six parts. There were a pair of gauntlets that were meant to cover the forearms, and they had a piece of metal that was designed cover the back of the hand, and could slide back into the main body to provide better flexibility of the wrist. There were also a pair of shin guards, with a similar design, so they could cover my feet and toes without obstructing my movements. Finally, there were a pair of what can only be called knuckleblades. They were similar to the spiked knuckles I had at home, but there was a long, dangerous looking blade extending from one end. The blade was about the length of a dagger. Each knuckleblade had straps that kept the knuckleblades wrapped securely in my palms, so I could open and close my hands. Also, there was a harness that was designed to hold the knuckleblades. The metal was polished, with silver highlights. It was an elegant and dangerous looking weapon.

_Bingo._

A crash sounded, in the direction of the entrance. Shigehito bellowed. "We've got company!"

I ran towards the entrance. By the time I'd got there, the others were already there. I hadn't realized how far into the vault I'd wandered. I looked around. Suki wasn't there.

"Where's Suki?"

Asuka spoke up. "She needs more time to gather the scrolls she needs." We looked at Shigehito. He nodded grimly.

"Tell her to hurry up."

"Shigehito, why couldn't you sense the Mugoi coming?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It seems this chamber blocks my senses."

"That means they don't know we're here, right?"

He shook his head. "I opened the door when the crash sounded. At that moment, I sensed a few Ningenbanare. That means they sensed me, too. Don't worry though, I only sensed one powerful one. I'll handle that one, and u guys clean up. There aren't any Tenma to worry about either."

I strapped the armor onto my arms and legs. Koike whistled when he saw the armor.

"Damn, man. That looks cool. Not as cool as mine though." He hefted a pair of nunchaku. It was black, with a golden dragon etched on both sides. Beside him, Ralph held up a pair of elegant swords that, even to my untrained eye, was obviously finely made. Emi held a metallic staff with a white dragon wrapped around it. Hino held a staff that had a blade at each end. Bruno brandished a broadsword that had gold stripes curling around the blade.

We turned at the sound of footsteps. Suki and Asuka rounded a corner, coming from the weapons section of the room.

"I thought you were getting scrolls?"

"We were, but I also had to get this."

Suki held up the katana she had been carrying. The sheath was crimson, and the handle was a darker red. She unsheathed the blade. It was the same color as the sheath, and beautifully made.

"This, is Shinku. It is a legendary blade. It was last wielded by my great-grandfather, and has only been used when the clan is in great danger."

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Being the last of my clan, I think this qualifies as a time of great danger."

She pointed at Koike. "That, is Kuroi." She pointed at Ralph. "That, is Futago." She pointed at Emi. "That, is Shapeshifter. As the name implies, it can turn into any weapon you like, within reason. It can't turn into a dagger, and it can't turn into a twenty foot long spear. It is one of the rare Fumetsu weapons that have a special ability. However, no human has been able to control Shapeshifter's shape. That is why it is normally used by Ningenbanare."

She pointed at Hino. "That's Tsuin." She pointed at Bruno. "That, is Makai." She turned to me, and paused. She stepped forward, and ran her hand along the armor. "That, is Quicksilver. The last person to use it was my brother."

I blinked, then started to take it off. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

She stopped me. "No, it's fine. I think, if he had known you, he'd have wanted you to have it."

"Why didn't he take this with him?"

"I don't know. I asked him, and he just said that it was not suitable for that particular battle."

I looked at the armor. "Thank you."

She smiled, then turned to face the others. "Every weapon here has a name. This, is my family's vault, and my family's weapons. Outsiders, are not allowed to use them. But, I think of you as my family now. Please, remember the names of your weapons, and may they keep you safe."

Another crash sounded from the entrance, this time much closer. Suki drew Shinku. The blade hummed. Shigehito grinned in anticipation of a fight. Koike twirled Kuroi a few times. Emi spun Shapeshifter around her hand. I drew Quicksilver's knuckleblades out from the harness. I could feel the adrenaline start to flow. Grinning, i started walking towards the entrance. "Let's go guys" I said.

We opened the trapdoor, and Shigehito leapt out, going straight towards a blond man with a sickle. They started fighting, their every movement a blur. I glanced around, assessing the situation. There were a bunch of men approaching us, weapons drawn. I couldn't tell which ones were non-human. Then they charged, and the battle began.

_**Koike's POV**_

I twirled Kuroi expertly around my hand as the men charged. Suddenly, the lead guy took a jump, and kicked Ryou in the chest. Ryou managed to block with the armor on his arms, but he was thrown backward.

_That's one Ningenbanare. Ryou should be good enough to handle him._

A man charged, slashing downwards. I blocked with Kuroi's chain, and kicked him in the groin. As he knelt, agony written on his face, I inspected Kuroi.

"Not even a scratch. Cool."

I swung Kuroi, and knocked the man out cold. I took up a stance, and waited for the others to come. Another man, with a symbol on his chest, stepped forward, wielding a cutlass. He saluted with the cutlass.

"I am Junta. A Ningenbanare with the Mugoi. I will be your opponent."

I bowed back. "I am Koike, a human with the resistance."

The man charged.

_He's not very fast for a Ningenbanare._

Then we clashed.

_**Emi's POV**_

I spun Shapeshifter, and blocked the three men's attacks with the Wuhua defense skill. I reversed the spin, and knocked their weapons out of their hands.

_This is a good staff._

A woman stepped up, also wielding a staff. She smiled at me, and attacked. Instantly, I knew this was a different opponent. She was stronger, faster, and more skilled than the other men.

_Ningenbanare._

But she wasn't _that _good. I was still holding my own, though some of her blows were getting through.

_Time to see how much better I've gotten._

_**Ryou's POV**_

I cursed, as I flew backward, and bounced off a wall that hadn't collapsed. Yet, anyway. I pulled myself to my feet, and faced the man who'd hit me. He, also wore arm and shin guards, though he didn't have any knuckleblades, and his armor was made of regular iron.

He bowed to me. "I am Kiga, the Kicker. A Ningenbanare with the Mugoi. That armor looks interesting. I'll take it after I'm done with you."

I grinned at him. "Awfully cocky, aren't ya?" I tucked the knuckleblades into the harness. 'If you aren't using weapons, neither will I. Bring it."

He smiled, and attacked, his legs a blur. True to his nickname, he attacked with kicks.

_Fujiwara Martial Arts is based on Taekwondo. Seems this guy has learned the equivalent of Taekwondo in this dimension._

I blocked his turning kick, but it was a feint. He nailed me with a sidekick, but I managed to block it with my arm guard. Still, it was enough to knock me back a few paces.

_This guy must be a new Ningenbanare. He hasn't gone through whatever it is that the Mugoi do to make their new Ningenbanares develop quickly._

I called to him. "How come your speed and strength is only slightly better than mine? I thought you Mugoi had something to make a Ningenbanare develop fast?

He smiled. "We do, but I refused to take it. My friends refused too. We prefer to be able to control our power. Our squad only has one fully-developed Ningenbanare, and three other new Ningenbanare, including me. The rest are humans waiting their turn to become Ningenbanare."

My lip curled. "You mean those humans are willing to kill others, just for the sake of power?!"

He smiled again. "Yes."

_I'm gonna wipe that smile off his face, then I'm going to beat the hell out of those human soldiers!_

"One more question." I said.

"Yes?"

I waved my hand at the debris around me. "Are you the ones responsible for this?"

He smiled again. "Yes."

I charged, and kicked out with a jumping sidekick. He jumped backwards, and blocked my kick with a raised knee. Then he twisted, and hit me with his other leg. I blocked that one, and we both landed within striking distance of each other. I punched out, but he dodged it, and kneed me in the stomach. I dropped to my knees. I looked up, to see him take a step back. Then he jumped, and did a 360 spin. I watched his foot come down.

_I know that move! That's the Falling Comet Kick!_

_Shit!_

_**Emi's POV**_

I found myself looking in Ryou's direction just as the guy he was fighting came down with a kick so strong the downdraft kicked up a cloud of dust.

"Ryou!"

The woman attacked, lunging with her staff, like it was a spear. I knocked it aside, and spun in a circle, building momentum, and slamming Shapeshifter onto the woman's head. She blocked with her staff, but Shapeshifter broke through, and nailed her hard enough to knock her out.

I turned back just in time to see the dust settle, revealing Ryou holding back the man's leg with one armored arm.

_He blocked that kick with just one hand?_

It seemed his block was a little slow, however. A trickle of blood dripped down from above his left eye. A breeze blew by, carrying his words to me.

"This, is for destroying this place!"

He twisted, and punched the man behind his knee. The man cried out, and jumped, bringing down his other leg. Ryou blocked that one too, making the man slam into the ground. Ryou spun in a circle while falling toward the man. Ryou's arm flung out, and slammed into the man's gut. Even from here, I could her the air exploding from the man's mouth. Then the man got his feet between him and Ryou, and sent Ryou flying to slam into a wall.

_**Ryou's POV**_

I gasped as I slammed into a wall. Vaguely, I noted that it was the same wall I'd slammed into the first time the guy sent me flying. I looked up in time to see the guy kick a few rocks at me. They were so fast I couldn't even see them. The best I could do to block them was to cover my face with my arms. When the barrage stopped, I looked up in tim to see the man's foot rushing towards me. I rolled away, and the wall behind me took the hit. With a load groan, the wall toppled.

I sighed. "haven't you done enough damage?"

The man stepped forward, leg raised in a hook kick. I twisted, and punched the man behind his knee, putting my waist behind it. This time, my strength, combined with the speed of the man's kick, was enough to break the knee. The man howled and collapsed.

I sighed. "With a hook kick, you're supposed to chamber your leg, then sweep out in a hooking motion. Hence the name, hook kick. Not swing you entire leg like it's a baseball bat or something. Here, let me show you how it's done."

I stepped up, and hook kicked the man in the head, knocking him out.

_**Koike's POV**_

Junta thrust forward with the cutlass, nearly stabbing my heart. I turned my body parallel to the blade, and wrapped Kuroi around it. I pulled backward, forcing Junta towards me, and slammed my elbow into his jaw. I spun, and back-kicked him in the gut, making him drop the cutlass. Completing the spin, I brought Kuroi around and hit the man in the temple, knocking him out.

I glanced around, and saw the others finishing up the other soldiers. Shigehito was walking towards us, blood on his right hand. From his triumphant grin, I guessed the blood wasn't his.

He came up to us, and looked from us to the unconscious and dead bodies. He nodded in approval.

"I think, You've gotten almost as good as you'll ever be. It's time for you to decide whether you want to be Nigenbanare, or not."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

_**Ryou's POV**_

The four of us, Koike, Emi, Asuka and I sat around a campfire. It had been a week since we got our Fumetsu weapons, and defeated three Ningenbanare. But the mood was solemn.

"Do we really want to become part Tenma?"

Emi voiced the thought that had gone through all our heads. Koike nodded, and spoke thoughtfully.

"Well, we're going to be fighting Tenma and Ningenbanare. At our current level, we'll be easily killed. So far, we've been lucky. We haven't had to fight any fully developed Ningenbanare. The only way for us to survive now is to become Ningenbanare ourselves."

This time Asuka spoke up.

"But how will this affect us? If we become Ningenbanare, will it affect our personalities? What will happen when we go home? Is it even possible for Ningenbanare to exist in our dimension?"

I sat quietly, and listened to the others talking. While I was hesitant to become Ningenbanare, that wasn't my main problem. I'd been training for years to make myself as strong as I could be. I didn't take steroids, or those testosterone boosters like some of the other guys in my class at Fujiwara-sensei's dojo. I was committed to seeing just how strong I could get. Though I was only in the advanced class, on a good day, I could hold my own against some of the expert class members. Koike was at my level, but now he'd surpassed me. Emi, too, had surpassed me. Granted, they both used weapons, but I'd seen Fujiwara-sensei take down ten armed expert class members. I wanted to get to that level. But if I turned Ningenbanare, I'd never find out just how good I could be as a human.

I sighed.

_I need to think more._

Koike threw water on the fire, startling me. I'd been thinking so hard that I hadn't noticed when they'd finished talking. I chided myself for letting down my guard. At the same time, I wondered what they'd decided on. Shigehito walked by.

"Have you decided?"

Koike nodded. "We'll do it."

_Well, there's my answer._

Shigehito glanced at Emi and Asuka. They both nodded. He looked at me.

"I'm not sure."

He nodded. "Take your time."

To the others, he said "I'll inform Yuki and Masato when they get back. We'll set a date for the transformation then. For now, try and get some sleep."

I sighed.

_I'll decide soon._

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by Suki.

"Ryou! Wake up! We're moving out."

I shook my head groggily. It was still dark.

"What's going on?"

"Miharu just got back. Yuki and Masato have been captured! We're going to get them back."

I looked around, and saw Miharu sitting to the side. Blood was splattered on her face, and her clothes were torn, though I didn't see any wounds. She must've healed herself.

Hurriedly, I strapped Quicksilver on, and tightened the harness around my waist. Shigehito came walking up, his face grim. Beside him was a man I didn't recognize.

"We're moving things a bit forward. We're doing the transformations now. Everyone, step up."

Everyone except me took a step towards Shigehito. He nodded.

"Good. Now, come to me one by one."

Koike went to Shigehito, who took his hand, and with a fluid motion, cut his palm. The man beside him cut his own palm as well. Shigehito pressed their palms together, and held it for about half a minute. I noticed that no blood spilled onto the ground.

_That man must be a Tenma, and Shigehito is infusing his blood into Koike._

Shigehito released Koike, who stumbled back. Miharu caught him, and healed his palm before guiding him to a sitting position. And just like that, it was over.

Shigehito gestured for the next one, and repeated the process.

I walked over to Koike, who had a dazed expression on his face.

"How does it feel?"

He shook his head.

"Weird. I can't explain it. But," he held his hand in front of his face. "I can feel the power pulsing through my body. I don't feel any stronger as of yet, but, I can feel the change. It's slow, but it's definitely happening."

When they were done, Shigehito glanced at me. I stood up.

"I'll do it."

He smiled.

"Why the change of mind?"

"If Yuki and Masato have been captured, they'll be heavily guarded. We'll need all the fighting strength we can get to break them out."

The Tenma shook his head.

"No. Your intentions are noble, but I'll not allow you to change now, to rescue your friends, only to regret it later. I've seen too many Ningenbanare kill themselves because they couldn't stand the fact that they'd lost their humanity."

I gritted my teeth, but before I could say anything, Shigehito cut in.

"You can do the change after we rescue Yuki and Masato. Speaking of fighting strength, we'll be meeting up with reinforcements on the way to the Mugoi base."

"How do you know which base they're in?"

"There's only one base big enough to hold two Ningenbanare as strong as Yuki and Masato. But we have to move fast. The Mugoi will be moving them to an even stronger base soon, and then we'll have lost them forever."

As the words sank in, everyone started moving faster. Soon, we were running through the forest, following Shigehito. In spite of the situation, I felt a sense of exhilaration as I ran. It was dark, but the training Shigehito gave me was paying off. I jumped over fallen branches, rebounded off trees, dodged hanging tree limbs, without slowing down. It was amazing. I noted that the others were keeping up as well as I was, though some of them were stumbling a little. It felt almost primal, running through the forest together, the only sound being the wind in my ears.

_Is this how wolves feel when on the hunt?_

I grinned.

The Mugoi who were holding Yuki and Masato captive, were in for one hell of a surprise.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

It was dawn when we reached the base where Yuki and Masato were being held. On the way, we met up with a squad of fifteen Ningenbanare, and five Tenma. I did a quick mental tally. We had twenty-three Ningenbanare of varying levels of development, six Tenma, and one human. Koike and the other new Ningenbanare were increasing in power every minute. Already, their stamina far surpassed mine. Their development rate surprised me. Shigehito had said it took up to two years for a Ningenbanare to reach full maturity. If what he said was true, in our spars, he'd been holding back on me far more than I'd thought.

I'd watched Koike carefully. He seemed well in control of his new strength. The others were the same. I theorized that whatever was in Tenma blood that made the physical change, also affected some mental changes to cope.

_Maybe the Mugoi have found whatever chemical in Tenma blood that is in charge of this growth, and gave it to their Ningenbanare in concentrated doses.._

We were camped behind a hill from the enemy base. Miharu had set up a few wards that she claimed would keep our ki from being sensed. Since the Mugoi were simply occupying a town, there were human traders going to and from the base. It had been simple for me to disguise myself as a trader, and sneak into the town. I'd memorized the layout, and the positions of the guard towers. Now, I was sketching a basic map onto the ground in front of me.

The layout of the town was simple. It had a roughly square shape, with walls on each side. There was a guard tower at each corner, plus two more beside the main entrance. The jailhouse, were Masato and Yuki were kept, was in the centre of the town, where it was easily defended. When I was done sketching, I outlined my plan.

"I overheard one of the guards saying they plan to move Yuki and Masato at first light tomorrow. During and after the journey, they'll be under constant and heavy guard. Therefore, our best chance will be at night, when they are preparing for the journey."

I pointed at the corner furthest from the centre.

"I propose that we send a small squad of men to attack, and create a diversion, at this corner. Nothing much, just enough for the Mugoi soldiers there to call for backup. When that is done, they should circle back to meet us.

When the Mugoi send more men to this corner, they'll weaken the guard at the center. When that happens, we should spring a surprise attack on the jailhouse. We are not there to defeat them, just to break out Yuki and Masato, then run. It shouldn't take long at all."

Shigehito thought for awhile.

"Good plan, except for one thing. They'll sense our ki the moment we get too close. We won't be able to draw them out like that. They'll just run back when they sense our ki."

I put my hand to my chin.

_Damn. Didn't think of that. There is still a way though._

"Can anyone here suppress their ki? Or is that possible?"

This time, it was Miharu.

"It's possible, but no one here has the control necessary to keep their ki suppressed while fighting."

_Okay, plan B._

"In that case, all of you attack from as many directions as possible, and make as much of a diversion as possible.

I'll slip in and break Yuki and Masato out."

"Not possible!" barked Shigehito.

"Why not?"

"You're no match for the non-humans!"

I looked Shigehito straight in the eye. "That's true, in a fair fight."

He froze for a minute. "You're not implying what I think you're implying."

I shrugged. "I'm going to be a killer anyway. In fact, I already am."

Koike, Asuka, and Emi had been following the exchange with confused expressions. When I spoke, their faces registered shock.

I spoke to them. "We'll have to kill sooner or later. And I can't knock them out. Not at my current level. I have to go for the kill."

Shigehito nodded curtly.

"How do you want to do this?"

"I'll sneak into their base again, and wait near the centre of town. When you commence the attack, I'll wait for

the guards to run towards the fighting, then I'll get into the jailhouse, get Yuki and Masato, and run like hell."

"That's as good a plan as any."

"I'm going to need more knives."

One of the Ningenbanare we'd met smirked. "That's one thing we don't have a lack of."

He took of a large roll of leather, and unfurled it on the ground, revealing hundreds of knives, of varying sizes.

I smiled, and set to work, trying to conceal as many blades as I could into my clothes.

It was going to be a long, bloody night.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

It was afternoon. We had about eight hours until we attacked. That gave me maybe seven and a half hours to prepare, and infiltrate the base. At the moment, I was working on something that might increase my chances of surviving through this.

_Necessity is the mother of ingenuity_

I'd taken a hollow wooden tube, and cut a hole on each side, then I'd gotten one of the Ningenbanare to twist a stiff iron rod into a spring for me. With that done, I fit the spring inside the tube, and placed a shorter iron rod through it. Then I placed a throwing knife inside the tube, pulled back the spring, and let fly. At first, the knife was easily dodged by the Ningenbanare, but then I got an even stiffer rod for my spring. Now I had a good chance of hitting a Ningenbanare inside of ten meters, even with the blunt wooden sticks I used to experiment with. Using a proper weighted throwing knife, I could expect my new weapon to hit Ningenbanare up to twenty meters. Probably more, if they didn't know they were being shot at.

I made a duplicate device, and fit them to the inside of my wrists. At the same time, Koike helped me design a trigger device that allowed me to fire by flicking my wrists. This let me keep my hands free while firing. In the end, I decided to drop most of my concealed knives so I could pack in the smaller throwing knives that were the ammunition for my weapons. The only melee weapons I was bringing was a short katana, that I could carry openly without attracting suspicion, and Quicksilver. If worse came to worse, I could always use the throwing knives as makeshift melee weapons.

I learned form Shigehito that the human form of both Tenma and Ningenbanare was exactly that. Human. Their body structure was exactly the same as a normal human, just that they were much faster and stronger. But that didn't bother me. I didn't plan on engaging any of them in actual combat. I spent the rest of the time meditating.

Before I left, Miharu stopped me.

"Here." She gave me a small bag. I opened it to see four pills, one red, one blue, one yellow, and one black.

"These pills will boost your speed, strength and stamina, but at a cost. The more strength you use, the more strain you put on your body."

"Take the blue one first, then, if it isn't enough, use the yellow one. If the situation is hopeless, take the red one to push your body past your human limit."

"What about the black one?"

"If you take that, you'll have incredible power, but there's a ninety percent chance you'll die."

I nodded. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

I nodded to Koike, and gave Emi and Asuka a hug. Finally, I turned to Suki. She hugged me fiercely.

"Don't you dare die on me." She whispered into my ear.

I grinned at her. "Don't worry. I'm too stubborn to die. You better not die as well, ya hear?"

With half an hour until the attack, I walked into the base.


End file.
